The first look at the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s new collection on display at Emirates Palace has been extended until August, but for the past month we have glimpsed into the city’s cultural future. So what have we learned?
The message, certainly the one coming from the curatorial team, is that the Louvre Abu Dhabi is something new, something unique. Judging by the scale of the project, it is not short on ambition. In terms of subject matter and period, exhibitions range from 100,000 BCE up until modernity, covering everything from armour to fine art. But, is the entire history of the world not biting off more than it can chew? ‘I hope not,’ says Laurence des Cars, curatorial director of the Agence France-Muséums, the French public agency set up to oversee the project. ‘The message behind it is one of dialogue between civilisation and culture.We want people to enjoy works of art for their beauty, as well as knowing what’s behind them and why we can cherish them as important works of art and testimonies of an ancient civilisation.’
The works that went on display were no less than a manifesto, a declaration of intent. A sixth-century Chinese white marble Buddha from the Northern Qi Dynasty faced Bellini’s 15th century ‘Madonna and Child’, just across from a 14th century Koran. ‘It is one of the strongest statements I’ve ever seen in a museum,’ enthused des Cars.
The message is clear: this is not a mini-Louvre, or a – dare we say it – franchise, but a blending of eastern and western cultures. But even the financial muscle of Abu Dhabi could strain itself if unguided in the art world. The initial US$555million spent securing the Louvre’s name and an aquisition budget of US$56million a year could balloon. The task is to spend that money wisely. ‘What you have seen is the first acquisitions of the Louvre Abu Dhabi dialoguing with loans from the French collection. For example, placing a Mondrian next to a Cézanne to explain birth of abstraction and to how Cézanne influenced Mondrian.’
The acquisition of Mondrian’s ‘Composition with Blue, Red, Yellow and Black’ was bought from Christies for US$29.4million from a private collection of Yves Saint Laurent. But as if to illustrate just how varied the museum’s vision is, from the same auction they also bought a 1920s African-style stool for US$640,000.
‘It is totally unique,’ explains des Cars. ‘In the Met in New York, you cannot just see civilisations from around the world in one room, you have to go through different departments. The Louvre Abu Dhabi will attempt a global vision of artistic creation throughout time.’ In short, different cultures and civilisations will sit side by side. Whether this vision can be a success depends on the skills of those in charge. We will learn more next year, when a pre-opening space on Saadiyat Island, close to the museum, will be opened. But as the Manets, Bellinis and Mondrians go back into storage and the first bricks in Jean Nouvel’s ambitious building are laid, one question remains to be answered: can they pull it off? Certainly, if they do, Abu Dhabi will have one of the great art museums in the world.
Emirates Palace, until August 2
